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Saturday, July 18, 2015

“It
is the worst of times but it is the best of times because we still have a
chance.” -

Sylvia Earle, Oceanographer

For millions of
years, the ocean truly was a cradle of life, supporting animals large and small
in its fold. During the early parts of the Industrial Revolution, the ocean was
a silent buffer – absorbing much of the carbon dioxide, pollutants and
effluents human society was creating as by-products of progress. It has, for
years, supplied a growing demand for protein too. Unfortunately, large as she
is, the ocean is not infinite, and nor are her resources or limits. Today we
are very close to pushing those limits.

To
protect the ocean and the life within it, through education, research and
management, so that our children will continue to have access to this source of
richness and beauty that sustains us today, Witty International School, Pawan
Baug organized an Interactive Workshop on Marine Conservation on 18th
July,2015. The guest speaker, a marine conservationist, Ms. Nayantara Jain,
Executive Director of Reef Watch fondly known as Tara, steered the workshop
ahead with an interesting and an eye-opening presentation and talk. Students
were enthusiastic and excited to learn about marine biodiversity. Students
learnt that every day, 22 million tons of carbon dioxide from
factories, cars, power plants and other human sources are absorbed by the
world’s oceans. The result? A frightening phenomenon that's making seawater more
acidic, spelling disaster for many marine animals, from plankton and coral up
the food chain to sea stars, salmon, sea otters, whales — and ultimately
people, who rely on oceans for food.

Wittians learnt about
coral reefs and the deep sea and were enthused about the different species of
fishes found underwater. They were enraptured by the beautiful coral reefs
which are the rainforests of the oceans but were shocked to know that they comprise
of only 0.02% of the ocean but 25 % of the marine life depends on the coral
reefs for their sustenance. Ms. Nayantara Jain shared her love for the most
endangered marine predator, which also happens to be the most misconstrued; the
sharks.She even provided the students
with the data which was highly shocking that sharks are responsible for taking
lives of 11 human beings in a year while human beings are responsible for
killing 4,117 sharks per hour, an astounding figure. Students were also
intrigued to find out that India is the second largest exporter of shark fins.
The Principal, Mr. Bijo Kurian quoted, “Through such innovative conservation workshops,
scientific research and inspiring education we champion the need for
plastic-free oceans, sustainable fishing, effective Marine Protected Areas and
an end to overexploitation of marine life.”

The workshop paved
the way for the naturalists within the students to blossom and help in
conserving the marine life. Students learnt that if Ocean survives, Planet
Earth survives. Ms. Nayantara ended the session with soulful and heartfelt
words, “We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our
children. And if we are not ready for a future wherein we see biodiversity only
on Google and not in real life or sustain on oxygen made in factories we need
to gear up and take action. To sustain and lead a better life all should first
know the ocean and then use this knowledge and enthusiasm to sustainable
management.”